CHAPTER 1 – The Old Janitor Everyone Mocked
The dojo fell silent the moment the old woman walked through the front gate.
She wasn't wearing a black belt.
She wasn't surrounded by students.
She carried nothing but a worn wooden staff and a faded cleaning apron.
The younger fighters exchanged amused glances.
"Did someone get lost?" one of them laughed.
Another whispered loudly, "The cleaning crew isn't supposed to train with us."
The room exploded with laughter.
The old woman simply smiled.
"My name is Evelyn," she said softly. "I'm here because someone invited me."
Nobody believed her.
The dojo was preparing for its annual Elite Warrior Challenge, where only the strongest martial artists in the country could compete.
There was no way someone who looked nearly seventy belonged there.
The instructor walked over.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. This event isn't open to visitors."
Evelyn calmly reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bronze coin engraved with an ancient dragon.
The instructor froze.
His face turned pale.
Before he could speak, one arrogant champion stepped forward.
"If she wants to stay," he sneered, "let her prove she can even hold that stick."
The crowd cheered.
Someone shouted, "One minute! She won't last ten seconds!"
Instead of refusing...
Evelyn slowly stepped into the center of the dojo.
She planted the wooden staff on the floor.
The entire building seemed to become unnaturally quiet.
For the first time...
The Grandmaster, who had been watching from the balcony, stood up.
His hands began to tremble.
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Because he recognized the woman everyone was laughing at.
And he knew exactly what that old wooden staff meant.
